January 5, 2012 12:26

U2-scored 'Spider-Man' musical breaks Broadway records

Much beleaguered production rakes in nearly $3 million in just one week

Photo Gallery: U2
Photo: Pa Photos

The U2-scored Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark musical has broken Broadway records to become the highest single-week grossing show of all time.

The production, which is rumoured to be the most expensive musical in history with an estimated cost of $70 million (£48 million), was hit by a series of early setbacks including injuries to cast members, financial problems and scathing reviews.

But according to the Daily Telegraph, the show raked in almost $3 million (£1.9 million) over just nine shows and has now broken the previous single-week grossing record set by Wicked, which grossed $2.2 million (£1.4 million) over eight shows in 2011.

In March of last year, the show's original director Julie Taymor was fired after the musical received extremely negative reviews from critics and was forced to close for three weeks.

New director Philip William McKinley took over from Taymor and revamped the show, allowing it to re-open in June, but Taymor subsequently announced her intention to sue the show's producers for $1 million (£621,000) in damages, claiming that her creative rights had been violated and that she hasn't been paid appropriately for her work.

In May, meanwhile, U2 singer Bono said he agreed with negative reviews of the show which described it as "among the worst" musicals ever made.